Case Number 16694

LOST: THE COMPLETE SECOND SEASON (BLU-RAY)

The Charge

They're not the survivors they think they are.

Opening Statement

"So we saved the world together for a while, and that was
lovely."

Facts of the Case

For some 40+ days, the survivors of Oceanic Flight 815 have been slowly but
surely discovering the secrets of the mysterious island they are stranded on.
When the first season concluded, the door to a mysterious hatch in the middle of
the jungle was finally opened. This season, Jack (Matthew Fox, Speed
Racer), Locke (Terry O'Quinn, Alias), Kate (Evangeline Lilly,
Afterwards), and others find themselves even more confused when they
learn that the hatch is actually a fully functioning command center of sorts set
up by a mysterious organization simply know as The Dharma Initiative. Inside the
hatch, there is a computer. Every 108 minutes, a code must be typed into the
computer and a button must be pressed. If this does not take place every 108
minutes, then some sort of horrible disaster will occur...probably. The man who
has been pushing this button all along is a shifty figure named Desmond Hume
(Henry Ian Cusick, Hitman), who quickly disappears once he has convinced
others of the importance of pushing the button.

Meanwhile, Sawyer (Josh Holloway, Dr. Benny), Michael (Harold
Perrineau, Smoke), and Jin (Daniel Dae Kim, Spider-Man 2) return
to the island in the wake of their unsuccessful attempt to escape via raft.
Michael's son Walt (Malcolm David Kelley, Antwone Fisher) has been
kidnapped by The Others, a mysterious and seemingly dangerous group of people
whose purpose remains completely unknown. Before the trio of men can begin to
put together a rescue, they make another startling discovery: it seems that
several people from the tail section of the plane are still surviving.

Will something horrible really happen if the button isn't pressed? Who are
The Others and what do they want? What is The Dharma Initiative up to? Is
everyone just a part of some elaborate game? If so, who is running it? Will Walt
ever be found? What's up with the strange, "security system?" Find the
answers to one or two of these questions in Lost: The Complete Second
Season! The 24 episodes are spread across six discs, with a seventh disc
devoted solely to bonus features.

The Evidence

More often than not, it takes a television series a season or two to really
hit its stride. Such was not the case with Lost, the rare show that was
in peak performance mode when the pilot hit the airwaves. The potential downside
of having a terrific first season is that it sometimes causes producers to look
for ways to recapture magic rather than trying to make things new, fresh and
exciting. Thankfully, the second season of Lost does not fall into the
trap of merely doing a variation on the same thing. This season leaps forward in
a variety of breathtakingly bold ways while simultaneously retaining many of the
key elements that made the first season such a successful venture to begin with.
As such, we are given sophomore season of television that always equals and
sometimes surpasses the accomplishments of the freshman year.

In this second season, the world of Lost is a little bit creepier,
definitely a bit more dangerous, and a whole lot more intense. If you thought
the bickering that took place between certain sets of characters was bad in the
first season, just wait until you see what is in store this time around. The
leadership conflict between Jack and Locke grows more hostile, Sawyer continues
his attempts to demonstrate that he is the nastiest S.O.B. on the island,
Charlie's behavior earns him beatings from both Claire and Locke, Hugo makes a
few enemies, Sayid decides that maybe he should take up torturing people again,
Kate finds herself being constantly shunned by Jack...it's a mess, to say the
least. Suspicion is high, trust is low and the new developments are only making
things even more nerve-wracking. The writing and craftsmanship are superb, but
this is a pretty rough season and not every character is going to survive
it.

A pretty significant portion of the second season is dedicated to
introducing the survivors from the tail section of Oceanic Flight 815. The most
important figure is probably Anna Lucia (Michelle Rodriguez, The Fast and the
Furious), a former cop with serious hostility issues. She may come across as
rather gratingly abrasive at first, but when you get to know a bit more about
her history it's much easier to understand certain aspects of her behavior.
Another very significant character is Mr. Eko (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, The
Bourne Identity), a man with a mysterious past who is attempting (like so
many others on the island) to find redemption in the midst of his unpleasant new
situation. We also meet Rose's loving husband Bernard (Sam Anderson, E.R)
and a therapist named Libby (Cynthia Watros, The Drew Carey Show) who has
eyes for Hurley. Performances are rock-solid all around from the main cast, and
special mention should be made of small but crucial guest appearances by Clancy
Brown (Carnivale) and Katey Sagal (Futurama).

The first season of Lost provided viewers with a lot of questions and
few answers. While this season does seemingly answer a couple of minor things,
most of the big questions remain a mystery. In fact, by the time this season
concludes, most viewers will probably have twice as many questions as they had
at the end of the first season. There are lots of mysterious subplots floating
around here, but the two pressing issues of this season are probably the hatch
and The Others. The hatch may or may not be at the very center of the larger
mystery, as Locke and others discover more and more clues regarding its origins
as the season progresses. This season sure does manage to milk a whole lot of
suspense out of the "will they/won't they push the button every 108
minutes" question, and somehow it never gets old or repetitive due to the
wide variety of fears and motivations involved. As for The Others, we still
don't know much about them by the time this season concludes, but we certainly
get to see a lot more of them. I'd mention one character in particular, but to
reveal his or her true identity would be too much of a spoiler.

I should also add that the use of flashbacks in this season is perhaps even
more impressive than it was the first time around. If there was a certain sense
of, "Okay, let's get this flashback over with and get back to the
island," at times during Season 1, the flashbacks of Season 2 are every bit
as riveting as the present-day material. So many fascinating stories are told
here: the truth about Kate's crimes, the story of Locke's failed romantic
relationship, Sayid's troubling experience with the U.S. Army, the story of what
the other tail section survivors have been up to for the past 40-something days
(a story that an entire episode is dedicated to), Sawyer's brutal con game, and
so much more. The flashbacks are shaken up just a little this time around, as
the show sometimes goes back just a few days or even a few hours for the sake of
creating interesting story structure.

I had the pleasure of reviewing the first season of Lost on Blu-ray
and found the transfer on that set very solid if somewhat less than spectacular.
Fortunately, this second season is definitely grade-A material visually,
providing a near-flawless transfer that is very difficult to complain about. The
image here benefits from remarkable depth and clarity, both during the
atmospheric night scenes and the vivid daylight sequences. Detail is superb
throughout, both in terms of background and facial detail. Blacks are rich and
inky, shading is spot-on, flesh tones are accurate...basically, this is a
transfer that leaps off the screen and cries, "I deserve to be seen in
hi-def!" I did notice a good deal more grain during this season, but it's
satisfyingly natural and left completely intact without any evidence of
tampering. Audio, once again, deserves nothing but praise. This is a very
dynamic show in terms of score and sound design, and these elements are as rich
as you would expect them to be. Not once during the entire season did I have to
adjust my remote control despite the booming presence of certain scenes, though
it should be noted that Lost is a good deal louder than most of my
Blu-ray releases in general. Also, more praise should go out to composer Michael
Giacchino, who tweaks old ideas and introduces new ones to give this season its
own sound that fits within the musical world of the first season while also
establishing its own identity.

As with the first season Blu-ray set, this one more or less reprises all of
the supplements from the DVD set while adding a relatively inconsequential
sprinkling of Blu-ray bonuses. Here's what you get:

* Fire + Water: A terrific 32-minute featurette offering an in-depth look at
the making of a single episode.

* Lost on Location: A handful of brief featurettes that combine forces to
create a modestly engaging documentary about various aspects of the show.

* Deleted Scenes and Flashbacks: You get 23 minutes' worth of missing
moments from the show. This stuff is reasonably interesting, but not terribly
revealing.

* Mysteries, Theories and Conspiracies: Hear speculation from the cast
members and others on what Lost will ultimately reveal. Not that any of
these people actually know.

* Secrets of the Hatch: Are you still curious about what the hatch is all
about? Odds are you won't be after checking out this 16-minute featurette.

* The World According to Sawyer: 5 minutes of cranky cantankerousness for
you Sawyer fans out there.

* Bloopers: 4 minutes of flubbed lines n' other funny items.

* Channel 4 UK Promo: An odd 2-minute promotional piece.

* Lost Connections: I didn't have the time to play this, but apparently it
allows you to uncover all sorts of mysteries. I'll just move on to Season 3,
thanks.

* Blu-ray Exclusives: Exactly the same stuff that you get on the Season 1
set: the pointless "SeasonPlay" option, a coupon for those who have
all ready purchased Lost on DVD, and the set is D-Box enabled. Do any of
you actually have D-Box technology? If so, is it really worth the massive price
tag? I'm just curious.

Closing Statement

Lost: The Complete Second Season very satisfactorily follows up on
what came before while tantalizingly setting up what comes next. It's a
magnificent season of television, it looks hotter than your girlfriend in
hi-def, and it's terrifically addictive. Even if you own the second season on
DVD and think you're content with it, you won't be after you get a look at this
set. Buy this set and lose yourself in the fascinating world of Lost.